Jammu Tawi, Jun 21: Jammu and Kashmir police has launched a war against gangsters in this union territory and one of the most wanted gangsters Rohit Rana alias Makhan was arrested by the police from Punjab on May 29, 2024.
The gangster was involved in the murder of Sub Inspector Deepak Sharma on April 2, 2024 at Government Medical College (GMC) Kathua.
The arrest of this gangster was not easy and the crime branch of J&K police had put their best foot forward to nab him alive and give the Khop gang, which is headed by Sonu Khatri Punjabi, a big dent.
The details shared with media, the crime branch was able to nab Makhan from Punjab where this gang has got support in many places. Since the SI Deepak Sharma murder case, J&K Director General of Police (DGP) RR Swain had taken personal interest in eliminating the Khop Gang from J&K.
After the case was handed over to the crime branch, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sandeep Mehta had entrusted the job to the most efficient officers of the department to arrest Khop gang members and bring them to justice.
In the first week of the month of May, a crime branch team had arrested three members of Khop Gang Himanshu Basi, Teja and Jasveer alias Baba from different areas of Punjab which sent shivers to the Khop gang and also to Rohit Rana alias Makhan who went into hibernation.
“During the investigation all the three members claimed that they were unaware of the whereabouts of Makhan as two people had arrived on a motorbike and had taken away Makhan,” said a source, adding, “But one of them claimed that Makhan has purchased a new mobile phone and the box of the phone is lying at a house of one of the gangsters.”
The crime branch officials immediately took possession of the box and started tracking the phone through its IMEI number. “The gangster was not using any Sim card and was relying on the hotspot of close associates who were providing him shelter and other support. The crime branch had managed to find the google email id of the gangster which he was using on the mobile phone and started tracking him,” he informed.
On May 12, crime branch and anti-gangsters squad of Punjab police had reached close to arrest Makhan from a hideout in Phagwara area of Punjab but the gangster managed to give them a slip from the area. “After that crime branch activated sources and also managed to get more technical information to track the gangster and continuously followed him,” the source said.
In the meantime, the crime branch had zeroed in on girlfriend of the gangster which further helped them to narrow down his location.
“On May 29, crime branch and Punjab police managed to narrow down in a village in Jalandhar area where the gangster was hiding and got hold of him. During the process when the gangster tried to give them a slip, crime branch officers, following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) fired upon his legs and got hold of him,” the source added.
Now, since May 29, Makhan is undergoing treatment in a hospital in Amritsar under the supervision of the crime branch and once he is able to move, he will be brought to Jammu where a case is already registered against him.
